Chris Avellone Interview

I can imagine among the things present in Chris Avellone’s daily routine is “reply to yet another interviewer’s questions” at least judging by the amount of them he gives, with the latest coming from CelebritySC. In the interview Chris tackles the ways the industry has changed since when he started his work as a game designer and gives advice to aspiring game developers. Here’s a snip:

As a writer, how do you overcome creative blocks?

Creative blocks can be killed by:

– Caffeine.

– Switching mental gears (going for a walk and getting away from the screen, or looking or reading a magazine you would not normally read).

– Reviewing your old brainstorming file for old ideas.

– Playing the game you’re working on.

– Going into the editor and fixing bugs or reviewing work you’ve done.

Usually, I found these can help prevent creative congestion.

What are your thoughts on the PC-console (rift)? Are you a (PC gamer) or a (console gamer)? How do the differences between the platforms affect the design process if at all?

I am both. It affects the design process mostly in terms of controls (each has a limited number of controls per platform) and memory management (memory and lag on a console needs to be carefully monitored to prevent the game content from slowing down the game).

If you start in the industry all over again, what would you do differently?

Nothing. If I had to think of something, I’d probably try to pick up a little programming, but to be honest, the industry changes so fast, I feel I lucked out by making the right choices at the outset (writing degree, architecture degree, spent a lot of time gamemastering to players and writing adventures, reading a lot for a good literary foundation, and doodling and drawing maps, people, and places whenever I could).